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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 217 records · Page 12
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

Near-field radiative heat transfer between irregularly shaped dielectric particles modeled with the discrete system Green's function method

Near-field radiative heat transfer (NFRHT) between irregularly shaped dielectric particles made of SiO 2 and morphology characterized by Gaussian random spheres is studied. Particles are modeled using the discrete system Green's function (DSGF) approach, which is a volume integral numerical method based on fluctuational electrodynamics. This method is applicable to finite, three-dimensional objects, and all system interactions are defined independent of thermal excitation by a generalized system Green's function. The DSGF method is deemed suitable to model NFRHT between irregularly shaped particles after verification against the analytical solution for chains of two and three SiO 2 spheres. The NFRHT results reveal that geometric irregularity in particles leads to a reduction of the total conductance from that of comparable perfect spheres at vacuum separation distances smaller than the particle size, a regime in which NFRHT is a surface phenomenon. At vacuum separation distances larger than the particle size, NFRHT becomes a volumetric process, and the total conductance between irregularly shaped particles converges to that of comparable perfect spheres. Spectral analysis reveals, however, that particle irregularity leads to damping and broadening of resonances at all separation distances, thereby highlighting the importance of the DSGF method for spectral engineering in the near field. The reduced spectral coherence when particle size is larger than the vacuum separation distance is attributed to coupling of surface phonon-polaritons within the randomly generated, distorted particle features. For particle size smaller than the vacuum separation distance, resonance broadening and damping are linked with the multiple localized surface phonon modes supported by the composite spherical harmonic morphologies of the Gaussian random spheres. In conclusion, this paper has direct implications for thermal management of packed particle systems, with applications in radiative property control, electronics, energy conversion, and nanomanufacturing.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2021

Signatures of deconfined quark phases in binary neutron star mergers

We investigate the quark deconfinement phase transition in the context of binary neutron star (BNS) mergers. We employ a new finite-temperature composition-dependent equation of state (EOS) with a first order phase transition between hadrons and deconfined quarks to perform numerical relativity simulations of BNS mergers. Here, the softening of the EOS due to the phase transition causes the merger remnants to be more compact and to collapse to a black hole (BH) at earlier times. The phase transition is imprinted on the postmerger gravitational wave (GW) signal duration, amplitude, and peak frequency. However, this imprint is only detectable for binaries with sufficiently long-lived remnants. Moreover, the phase transition does not result in significant deviations from quasi-universal relations for the postmerger GW peak frequency. We also study the impact of the phase transition on dynamical ejecta, remnant accretion disk masses, r-process nucleosynthetic yields and associated electromagnetic (EM) counterparts. While there are differences in the EM counterparts and nucleosynthesis yields between the purely hadronic models and the models with phase transitions, these can be primarily ascribed to the difference in remnant collapse time between the two. An exception is the non-thermal afterglow caused by the interaction of the fastest component of the dynamical ejecta and the interstellar medium, which is systematically boosted in the binaries with phase transition as a consequence of the more violent merger they experience.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Toward UV models of kinetic mixing and portal matter. VI. A more complex dark matter sector?

Portal matter (PM), having both Standard Model (SM) and dark sector charges, can induce kinetic mixing between the 𝑈⁢(1) 𝐷 dark photon and the SM gauge fields at the 1-loop level offering an attractive mechanism by which light (≲1 GeV) thermal dark matter (DM) can interact with visible matter and obtain its observed relic density. In doing so, if the DM is fermionic, the CMB and other astrophysical observations inform us that it must be Majorana/pseudo-Dirac in nature to avoid velocity/temperature-independent 𝑠-wave annihilation to SM final states. How does this idea fit into a more UV-complete picture also including the SM interactions? There are some reasons to believe that at least a first step along this path may not lie too far away in energy due to the renormalization group equations running of the dark gauge coupling, which for a significant range of parameters, becomes nonperturbative at/before the ∼10’s of TeV energy range. This implies that 𝑈⁢(1) 𝐷 must become embedded in an asymptotically free, non-Abelian group, 𝐺 𝐷 , before this can occur. The breaking of this larger group then produces the masses for the PM and the additional gauge fields associated with 𝐺 𝐷 then can lead to new interactions between the SM and the dark sector. Following several bottom-up approaches, we have examined a set of distinctive and testable phenomenological features associated with this general setup, based upon a number of simplifying assumptions. Clearly, it behooves us to explore the impact of these specific assumptions on these predictions for the array of possible experimental tests of this class of models. In most past analyses it has been assumed that DM is a vectorlike, complex singlet under the group 𝐺 𝐷 . If this assumption is relaxed, the dark sector must be augmented by additional fermion(s) and the associated scalar fields needed to break the gauge symmetries while generating the needed Majorana-like mass terms for the DM. In this paper, we analyze the simplest extension of this kind wherein the DM lies in a vectorlike doublet of 𝐺 𝐷 , which we take to have the structure 𝑆⁢𝑈⁢(2) 𝐼 ×𝑈⁢(1) 𝑌 𝐼 as in earlier work, leading to new phenomenological implications. We find, for example, that given the current LHC search constraints on the masses of heavy gauge bosons, the production of these new dark states with large rates is unlikely to occur at colliders unless they are produced singly in 𝑔⁡𝑔 fusion or their pair production cross sections are resonantly enhanced. Here, we also find that an additional mechanism arises to generate hierarchal neutrino masses in such a setup.

Extensions of Higgs sector↗
DOE OSTI2022

Charge carrier coupling to the soft phonon mode in a ferroelectric semiconductor

Many crystalline solids possess strongly anharmonic “soft” phonon modes characterized by diminishing frequency as temperature approaches a critical point associated with a symmetry breaking phase transition. While electron–soft phonon coupling can introduce unique scattering channels for charge carriers in ferroelectrics, recent studies on the nonferroelectric lead halide perovskites have also suggested the central role of anharmonic phonons bearing resemblance to soft modes in charge carrier screening. Here we apply coherent phonon spectroscopy to directly study electron coupling to the soft transverse optical phonon mode in a ferroelectric semiconductor SbSI. Photogenerated charge carriers in SbSI are found to be exceptionally long lived and are associated with a transient electro-optical effect that can be explained by interactions between charge carriers and thermally stimulated soft phonon excitations. Furthermore, these results provide strong evidence for the role of electron–soft phonon coupling in the efficient screening of charge carriers and in reducing charge recombination rates, both desirable properties for optoelectronics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Phonon second harmonic generation in NaBr studied by inelastic neutron scattering and computer simulation

The phenomenon of second harmonic generation (SHG) was found for phonons in anharmonic NaBr by inelastic neutron scattering. The temperature dependence of this phonon SHG was measured from 300 K to 650 K. At 300 K the second harmonic (SH) is seen as a high-energy branch around 33 meV, nearly independent of $\overrightarrow{Q}$. The temperature effective potential (TDEP) method and classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulation with machine learning interatomic potential were able to reproduce the SH, and showed that SHG occurs with the flat transverse optical (TO) phonon branch. A classical model of a nonlinear medium explains the intensity and lifetime of the SH, compared to those of the TO modes. Also successful was a quantum model based on the Heisenberg-Langevin equation for interacting phonons coupled to a thermal bath, which also predicts a spectral distribution of the SH. In conclusion, the measured temperature dependence of the intensity of the second harmonic showed that it follows the Planck distribution of a one-phonon quasiparticle, and not two TO phonons.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Dielectron production in central Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 5.02TeV

The first measurement of the 𝑒 + ⁢𝑒 − pair production at midrapidity and low invariant mass in central Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV at the Large Hadron Collider is presented. The yield of 𝑒 + ⁢𝑒 − pairs is compared with a cocktail of expected hadronic decay contributions in the invariant mass (𝑚𝑒⁢𝑒) and pair transverse momentum (𝑝 T,𝑒⁢𝑒 ) ranges 𝑚 𝑒⁢𝑒 < 3.5 GeV/𝑐 2 and 𝑝 T,𝑒⁢𝑒 < 8 GeV/𝑐. For 0.18 < 𝑚 𝑒⁢𝑒 < 0.5 GeV/𝑐 2 the ratio of data to the cocktail of hadronic contributions amounts to 1.40 ± 0.11⁢(stat.) ± 0.23 ⁢(syst.) ± 0.16⁢ (cocktail) and 1.42 ± 0.11⁢ (stat.) ± 0.23 (syst.)$^{+0.24}_{−0.29}$ ⁢(cocktail), including or not including medium effects in the estimation of the heavy-flavor background, respectively. It is consistent with predictions from two different models for an additional contribution of thermal 𝑒+⁢𝑒− pairs from the hadronic and partonic phases. In the intermediate-mass range (1.2 < 𝑚 𝑒⁢𝑒 < 2.6 GeV/𝑐 2 ), the pair transverse impact parameter of the 𝑒 + ⁢𝑒 − pairs (DCA𝑒⁢𝑒, where “DCA” denotes “distance of closest approach”) is used for the first time in Pb-Pb collisions to separate displaced dielectrons from heavy-flavor hadron decays from a possible (thermal) contribution produced at the interaction point. The data are consistent with a suppression of 𝑒 + ⁢𝑒 − pairs from $𝑐\bar{𝑐}$ and an additional prompt component. Finally, the first direct-photon measurement in the 10% most central Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV is reported via the study of virtual direct photons in the transverse momentum range 1 < 𝑝 T < 5 GeV/𝑐. A model including prompt photons, as well as photons from the preequilibrium and fluid-dynamic phases, can reproduce the result, while being at the upper edge of the data uncertainties.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Braneworld cosmological effect on freeze-in dark matter density and lifetime frontier

In the 5-dimensional braneworld cosmology, the Friedmann equation of our 4-dimensional universe on a brane is modified at high temperatures while the standard Big Bang cosmology is reproduced at low temperatures. Based on two well-known scenarios, the Randall–Sundrum and Gauss–Bonnet braneworld cosmologies, we investigate the braneworld cosmological effect on the relic density of a non-thermal dark matter particle whose interactions with the Standard Model particles are so weak that its relic density is determined by the freeze-in mechanism. For dark matter production processes in the early universe, we assume a simple scenario with a light vector-boson mediator for the dark matter particle to communicate with the Standard Model particles. We find that the braneworld cosmological effect can dramatically alters the resultant dark matter relic density from the one in the standard Big Bang cosmology. As an application, we consider a right-handed neutrino dark matter in the minimal B – L extended Standard Model with a light B – L gauge boson (Z') as a mediator. We find an impact of the braneworld cosmological effect on the search for the long-lived Z' boson at the planned/proposed Lifetime Frontier experiments.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Photon production rate from Transverse-Longitudinal ( T – L) mesonic correlator on the lattice

Thermal photons from the QGP provide important information about the interaction among plasma constituents. The photon production rate from a thermally equilibrated system is proportional to the transverse spectral function ρ T (ω = |k → |,k → ). One can also calculate the photon production rate from the difference between ρ T (ω, k → ) (transverse) and ρ L (ω, k → ) (longitudinal) projections, as ρL vanishes on the photon point. Because the UV part of ρ T – ρ L is suppressed, the corresponding Euclidean correlator receives most of its contribution from the IR part. We calculate the T – L correlator on N f = 2 + 1 flavour HISQ configurations with m l = m s /5 at temperature of about 1.15T ρc (220 MeV). We have used two ansätze for the spectral function: 1) A polynomial connected to the UV region consistent with OPE expansion and 2) a hydro-inspired spectral function. We have also applied the Backus-Gilbert method to estimate the spectral function. All these different approaches are combined to estimate the photon production rate.

Bala, Dibyendu↗
DOE OSTI2025

Time-resolved probing of laser-induced nanostructuring processes in liquids

Laser synthesis and processing of colloids (LSPC) in liquids has gained widespread applications in producing nanomaterials of different classes of solids. While the technical processes in different cases of ablation, fragmentation or colloidal fusion may look macroscopically different in each application, the underlying fundamental mechanisms are always the same cascade of laser interaction with matter, non-thermal or thermal energy deposition, phase transitions, and the subsequent structure formation processes. Disentangling these mechanisms represents a veritable challenge, as ultrafast and structurally sensitive experimental methods are required. This review presents a discussion of how state-of-the-art experimental protocols using ultrafast lasers and sensitive structural probes, such as electrons or X-rays are able to address this challenge. In particular, it is possible to investigate LSPC on single objects using single probe pulses and avoid accumulation effects in a heterogeneous sample. The presented results capture structure formation with femtosecond and atomic scale resolution. Ultrafast time-resolved probing approaches are key to revealing the transient states and pathways that govern material transformation in LSPC.

X-ray scattering↗
DOE OSTI2022

The Future Circular Collider: a Summary for the US 2021 Snowmass Process

In this white paper for the 2021 Snowmass process, we give a description of the proposed Future Circular Collider (FCC) project and its physics program. The paper summarizes and updates the discussion submitted to the European Strategy on Particle Physics. After construction of an approximately 90 km tunnel, an electron-positron collider based on established technologies allows world-record instantaneous luminosities at center-of-mass energies from the Z resonance up to tt thresholds, enabling a rich set of fundamental measurements including Higgs couplings determinations at the sub percent level, precision tests of the weak and strong forces, and searches for new particles, including dark matter, both directly and via virtual corrections or mixing. Among other possibilities, the FCC-ee will be able to (i) indirectly discover new particles coupling to the Higgs and/or electroweak bosons up to scales around 7 and 50 TeV, respectively; (ii) perform competitive SUSY tests at the loop level in regions not accessible at the LHC; (iii) study heavy-flavor and tau physics in ultra-rare decays beyond the LHC reach, and (iv) achieve the best potential in direct collider searches for dark matter, sterile neutrinos, and axion-like particles with masses up to around 90 GeV. The tunnel can then be reused for a proton-proton collider, establishing record center-of-mass collision energy, allowing unprecedented reach for direct searches for new particles up to the around 50 TeV scale, and a diverse program of measurements of the Standard Model and Higgs boson, including a precision measurement of the Higgs self-coupling, and conclusively testing weakly-interacting massive particle scenarios of thermal relic dark matter.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Impact analysis of personalized thermostat demand response

Demand response (DR) aims to curtail peak electric load to avoid running inefficient power plants, reduce costly transmission capacity increases, and improve grid reliability. One method of DR for residential settings involves the utility or third part remotely adjusting thermostat temperatures. Cooling setpoints may be increased 2°F – 6°F for hours, irrespective of occupant comfort. To maintain their comfort, occupants override these setpoint changes impacting the reliability of DR services provided to the grid. This paper presents a preliminary impact analysis of replacing the current DR approach of uniform thermostat setbacks for an entire population with personalized and context aware DR based on a dynamic model of occupant thermal comfort behavior. Over 151k interactions with ecobee thermostats are analyzed to predict the impact of such personalized DR on overrides, energy curtailment magnitude, and reliability.

Kane, Michael↗
DOE OSTI2025

Anomalous neutron nuclear-magnetic interference spectroscopy

The electron–phonon interaction plays a critical role in materials’ electrical, thermal, optical, and superconducting properties. However, measuring the phonon mode-resolved electron–phonon interaction has been challenging. Here we propose neutron-scattering-based Anomalous Neutron nUclear-Magnetic Interference Spectroscopy (ANUBIS), where the co-existence of neutron nuclear scattering and magnetic scattering leads to anomalous dynamical structure factor under the presence of the electron–phonon interaction. Such anomalous structure factor is linear in electron–phonon coupling constant at the phonon wavevector, and is directly proportional to the momentum and energy-resolved dielectric function. The experimental configuration can be achieved using existing polarized inelastic neutron scattering setup, and an order-of-magnitude estimate shows the viability to observe the anomalous scattering signal is around to 10 –4 to 10 –3 relative to phonon scattering, which is examined through the preliminary experiments and achievable at emerging neutron facilities. As a result, our proposal offers an alternative neutron-based metrology to probe the crucial electronic properties.

Electron-phonon interactions↗
DOE OSTI2021

Complex Relationship between Side-Chain Polarity, Conductivity, and Thermal Stability in Molecularly Doped Conjugated Polymers

Molecularly doped conjugated polymers with polar side chains are an emerging class of conducting materials exhibiting enhanced and thermally stable conductivity. In this work, we study the electronic conductivity (σ) and the corresponding thermal stability of two polythiophene derivatives comprising oligoethylene glycol side chains: one having oxygen attached to the thiophene ring (poly(3-(methoxyethoxyethoxy)thiophene) (P3MEET)) and the other having a methylene spacer between the oxygen and the thiophene ring (poly(3-(methoxyethoxyethoxymethyl)thiophene) (P3MEEMT)). Thin films were vapor-doped with fluorinated derivatives of tetracyanoquinodimethane (FnTCNQ, n = 4, 2, 1) to determine the role of dopant strength (electron affinity) in maximum achievable σ. Specifically, when vapor doping with F 4 TCNQ, P3MEET achieved a substantially higher σ of 37.1 ± 10.1 S/cm compared to a σ of 0.82 ± 0.06 S/cm for P3MEEMT. Structural characterization using a combination of X-ray and optical spectroscopy reveals that the higher degree of conformational order of polymer chains in the amorphous domain upon doping with F 4 TCNQ in P3MEET is a major contributing factor for the higher σ of P3MEET. Additionally, vapor-doped P3MEET exhibited superior thermal stability compared to P3MEEMT, highlighting that the presence of polar side chains alone does not ensure higher thermal stability. Molecular dynamics simulations indicate that the dopant–side-chain nonbond energy is lower in the P3MEET:F 4 TCNQ mixture, suggesting more favorable dopant–side-chain interaction, which is a factor in improving the thermal stability of a polymer/dopant pair. Our results reveal that additional factors such as polymer ionization energy and side-chain–dopant interaction should be taken into account for the design of thermally stable, highly conductive polymers.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Preliminary Plan to Inform Testing of a Heat Exchanger Test Article

This report presents a preliminary plan to guide the qualification testing of advanced heat exchanger (HX) components for nuclear-to-industrial heat transfer applications. The objective is to establish a defensible, physics-based methodology that integrates computational modeling, targeted experimentation, and in-service inspection considerations to demonstrate component performance and reliability under representative reactor conditions. The analysis identifies Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor (SFR) and High-Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (HTGR) systems as reference configurations in terms of temperature, pressure, and chemical environment. Within these operating envelopes, dominant degradation mechanisms— including creep–fatigue interaction, flow-induced vibration, corrosion, and diffusion-bond deterioration—were evaluated to define test requirements. A comprehensive computationalexperimental framework is proposed to support life prediction and qualification activities. The framework couples high-fidelity structural-mechanics, thermal-hydraulic, and fluid-structure interaction models with accelerated degradation testing to produce a traceable linkage between microstructural evolution, mechanical performance, and remaining useful life (RUL). The approach adheres to established Verification, Validation, and Uncertainty Quantification (VVUQ) standards (ASME V&V 10/20; NUREG-2152) and incorporates a digital-twin architecture for continuous model refinement through data assimilation. The plan further outlines testing methodologies, including pre-test analyses, test-loop design parameters, and sensor placement strategies that maximize information yield while maintaining mechanistic fidelity. Complementary sections describe in-service inspection (ISI), on-line monitoring (OLM), and structural-health-monitoring (SHM) techniques applicable to compact HX geometries typical of advanced reactors. Collectively, these activities establish the technical foundation for demonstrating 40-60-year equivalent service life of advanced heat exchangers in support of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Reactor and Integrated Energy Systems programs. The forthcoming phase will execute the defined pre-test analyses, initiate hardware fabrication, and implement the integrated testing campaign to validate the proposed qualification methodology.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Theory of thermal properties of magnetic materials with unknown entropy

Theoretical approaches to study thermal properties of magnetic materials typically require accurate models of magnetic interactions in order to define the entropy. Here we introduce a complementary approach for examining thermal properties in magnetic systems where an accepted model for such interactions does not exist. In place of a specific model for magnetic interactions, the approach integrates measurements of temperature dependent magnetization of the studied material into a first principles computational scheme. The approach calculates system pressure from thermally disordered microstates that properly incorporate vibrational and spin subsystems at each temperature as well as the coupling between these subsystems. We apply the approach to calculate phonon modes and to investigate the anomalously low thermal expansion of the classical Invar alloy, Fe 0.65 Ni 0.35 . Here, the calculated phonon dispersions for Invar are in excellent agreement with measured data. The Invar thermal expansion is shown to remain small between 50 K and room temperature, consistent with the experimentally observed low thermal expansion value in this same temperature range. This anomalously small thermal expansion is directly connected to a small positive contribution from lattice thermal disorder that is nearly canceled by a large negative magnetic disorder contribution. By contrast, calculations for bcc Fe show a much larger thermal expansion, consistent with experiment, which is dominated by a large contribution from lattice thermal disorder that is reduced only slightly by a small negative contribution from that of magnetism. These findings give insights into the unusual nature of magnetism and spin-lattice coupling in Invar and Fe. In addition, they give promising preliminary support to the presented new methodology as a complementary way to investigate thermal properties of magnetic materials. The success achieved on Invar and Fe motivates future testing of the approach on other magnetic materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Electric Field Control of Phonon Lifetimes and Thermal Conductivity in Relaxor-Based Ferroelectric

The demand for high energy efficiency drives intense interest in thermal-management technology. Phonons are a major contributor to heat transfer in solids and controlling them through external stimuli is a key challenge for thermal management due to their weak interactions with applied fields. We report significant changes in phonon transport with the application of an electric field over a broad temperature range in a relaxor-based ferroelectric using neutron-scattering and -transport measurements. Phonon lifetimes increase along the applied poling field and this results in a tripling of the thermal conductivity in that direction. We also observe a suppression of nanoscale antiferroelectric fluctuations along the poling direction and argue that this increases the phonon lifetimes. Our results highlight a promising yet underexplored route to realistic solid-state heat switching from electric-field-modified nanostructures altering the phonon lifetimes in disordered functional materials.

Phonons↗
DOE OSTI2021

Optical Forces on an Oscillating Dipole Near VO2 Phase Transition

We investigate optical forces on oscillating dipoles close to a phase change vanadium dioxide (VO2) film, which exhibits a metal-insulator transition around 340 K and low thermal hysteresis. This configuration emulates the interaction between an illuminated nanosphere and an interface and we employ a classical description to capture its important aspects. We consider both electric and magnetic dipoles for two different configurations, namely with the dipole moments parallel and perpendicular to the VO2 film. By using Bruggeman theory to describe the effective optical response of the material, we show that the thermal hysteresis present in the VO2 transition clearly shows up in the behavior of optical forces. In the near-field regime, the force on both dipoles can change from attractive to repulsive just by heating (or cooling) the film for a selected frequency range. We also verified that the optical forces are comparable to the Casimir-Polder force in a similar system, revealing the possibility of modulating or even changing the sign of the resultant force on an illuminated nano-object due to the presence of a thermochromic material. We hope that this work contributes to set the grounds for alternative approaches to control light-matter interactions using phase-change materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗